Jurassic Park III
Encyclopedia
Jurassic Park III is a 2001 American
science fiction film
and the third of the Jurassic Park franchise
. It is the only film in the series that is neither directed by Steven Spielberg
(though produced by his production company, Amblin Entertainment
) nor based on a book by Michael Crichton
, though numerous scenes in the movie were taken from Crichton's two books, Jurassic Park and The Lost World. The film takes place on Isla Sorna in the Central American Pacific coast, the island from the second film, after a divorced couple tricks Dr. Alan Grant into helping them find their son.
After the success of Jurassic Park
, Joe Johnston
asked Steven Spielberg if he could direct the film adaptation of The Lost World, the sequel to Jurassic Park. While Spielberg wanted to do the project, he promised to give the helm of the second sequel to Johnston. Spielberg stayed involved with the film by becoming the executive producer
. Three years after the release of The Lost World
, production of the third film began in August 2000. Although a commercial success, the film was released to mixed reviews.
) and his soon-to-be stepfather, Ben Hildebrand (Mark Harelik
), go on a parasailing
trip off the coast of Isla Sorna. After passing through a mist off the coast, it is discovered that the two men piloting the boat have gone missing, causing the boat to collides with rocks on the shoreline. The parasailers unhook their line from the boat and try to control their descent to the uninhabited island, which has been declared a restricted area for quite some time.
The film then transitions to another scene with Alan Grant explaining to Ellie Satler's son Charlie (in his sandbox) that carnivorous dinosaurs like fighting with each other rather than with herbivores, while Charlie continues to make his toy Triceratops and Brontosaurus bite each other. It is then revealed that Satler and Grant were never married, and that she is in fact married to a doctor named Mark.
Back at Grant's dig site in Snake Water, Grant's assistant Billy Brennan is shown digging up a velociraptor skeleton (similar to that in the start of the first film), whilst flirting with one of the student paleontologists. Later in one of the research tents, Billy reveals the replica of a Velociraptor
's resonating chamber
he created after scanning a raptor skull. Grant is then approached by Paul (William H. Macy
) and Amanda Kirby (Téa Leoni
), an allegedly wealthy couple who ask Dr. Grant to escort them on an aerial tour of Isla Sorna. Grant initially turns them down, but changes his mind after the Kirbys offer to fund his dig.
The plane carrying Grant, Billy, the Kirbys and three mercenaries arrives at Isla Sorna. Dr. Grant is surprised when the pilots tell the group that they will be landing, and starts to revolt before being knocked unconscious by one of the mercenaries, Cooper (John Diehl
). Grant later regains consciousness when Amanda uses a megaphone
to call out to somebody in the jungle, and a roar is heard followed by several gunshots. Grant determines that the roar is not that of a Tyrannosaurus
, but of something bigger. The mercenaries Nash (Bruce A. Young
) and Udesky (Michael Jeter
) emerge shouting that they have to leave. As the plane starts down the runway, Cooper appears. Suddenly, a Spinosaurus
dashes in front of the plane, killing Cooper and grazing the leaving airplane, which then crashes into the jungle. The Spinosaurus attacks the plane and kills Nash before the remains fall to the ground. Grant, Billy, Paul, Amanda and Udesky flee the scene as the Spinosaurus inspects the fuselage. They then run into a young male Tyrannosaurus, which pursues them back into the Spinosaurus. The two predators proceed to battle each other and the Spinosaurus kills the Tyrannosaurus by snapping its neck as the group escapes.
After finding some peace, Grant learns that the Kirbys are actually a divorced couple of small businessmen in search of their son Eric, who was stranded on the island along with Amanda's fiancé Ben eight weeks prior. The group decides to follow Grant's decision of heading towards the coast in hopes of being rescued. As they travel through the jungle, they discover a tangled parasail with Ben's skeleton and a video camera containing footage of his last moments with Eric.
The group comes across a derelict InGen
laboratory. After exploring the compound, they are attacked by a Velociraptor. The group traps the raptor, which calls for help as the group leaves the buildling. Outside, they are pursued by the Velociraptor's pack, and Udesky is left behind. The alpha male raptor snaps his spinal cord, killing him. Grant is also separated, but is rescued from the raptors by Eric, who uses gas grenades to disperse the pack. The group reunites, but is separated by a spiked barrier fence. During this time, Eric hears the ringtone of his father's satellite phone
. It is then revealed that sound is emanating from within the very Spinosaurus that attacked them at the landing strip
. On the verge of being eaten, Grant and Eric manage to escape through a hole in the fence and the pursuit ends as they escape into a building.
Inside, it is discovered that Billy stole two eggs from the raptor nest in hopes of using them to fund their digging. Grant and berates Billy as being "no better than the people who built this place." Grant decides to dispose of the eggs into the river, but changes his mind and decides to store them in his bag instead. The group then sets out for a boat docked at a nearby river. They pass through a massive aviary dome, and are attacked by Pteranodon
s. Billy is presumed to be killed when he rescues Eric from a nest of hungry dinosaur chicks, leaving Grant in a state of remorse. The group escapes onto the boat, but while navigating down the river, a phone ring is heard. They find some Spinosaurus dung, on which the satellite phone is recovered.
As the survivors travel down the river, the Spinosaurus emerges from the water and attacks them. Grant attempts to call Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern
), but can only yell "The river! Site B!" as the boat submerges. Paul distracts the Spinosaurus by climbing a construction crane, while Grant shoots a flare which ignites the boat's spilled oil, driving away the dinosaur.
The next morning, the group is close to shore when the Velociraptor pack reappears. Grant delivers the eggs and uses Billy's raptor resonating chamber to confuse the pack. The sound of an approaching helicopter causes the raptors to leave peacefully with the eggs. On the beach, Marine
helicopters and infantry arrive. The party boards the helicopter where they are reunited with Billy, who is seriously injured but still alive. As the helicopter departs, three Pteranodons are seen flying off in the distance to which Grant suggests that they are searching for new nesting grounds. The film ends with the pteranodons soaring majestically into the clouds.
had been interested in directing the sequel to Jurassic Park
and approached friend Steven Spielberg
about the project. While Spielberg wanted to direct the first sequel, he agreed that if there was ever a third film, Johnston could direct. The third film was reen-light|greenlit] in August 1999 and was based on a story by Steven Spielberg, featuring Alan Grant after having lived in a tree on one of the islands and studied the dinosaur population. Johnston never had any concrete concept for the third installment, other than stating the film would be "more stand-alone" and feature a lot of flying reptiles. Before that, Craig Rosenberg wrote a script involving teenagers who get marooned on Isla Sorna.
New writers were brought in to scribe a story involving Pteranodon
s escaping from Site B and causing a rash of mysterious killings on the mainland, which was to be investigated by Alan Grant and a number of other characters including Billy Brennan, a naturalist named Simone, a tough
, and wealthy Paul Roby, histeenage son Miles, and love interest. Grant's group was to track the Pterosaurs back to Site B and crash on the island, while a parallel investigation was carried out on the mainland. Supposedly, the aviary sequence and laboratory set piece were much longer and more complex, including raptors stealthily entering the hatchery while the team spent the night. Sets, costumes, and props were built for this version, before Johnston threw out the completed script five weeks before filming in order to pursue the "rescue mission" plot, which was suggested by David Koepp. Johnston said that the script was never finished during production - "We shot pages that eventually went into the final script but we didn't have a document". Also during the pre-production phase, concept artists created advertising for the film using a number of working titles including Jurassic Park: Extinction and Jurassic Park: Breakout.
Production began on August 30, 2000 without a finished script, with filming in California
, Oahu
, and Molokai
. Although it is an original story, not based on a Michael Crichton
novel, it does contain minor scenes from Crichton's Jurassic Park and The Lost World novels that were not featured in the film versions, such as the Pteranodon aviary and the use of the boat. In a change from the first two films, Spinosaurus replaced T. Rex as the main antagonist. As to why Spinosaurus was chosen for such a role, Johnston stated, "A lot of dinosaurs have a very similar silhouette to the T-Rex... and we wanted the audience to instantly recognize this as something else." Baryonyx
was originally considered to be the "big bad
" before Spinosaurus was chosen. Within film dialog, Billy interprets the animal encountered as a Baryonyx or Suchomimus
, but Dr. Grant corrects his analysis based on its sail. The origin of the Spinosaurus is also a mystery as Ingen did not clone the Spinosaurus. The Spinosaurus in the film however is slightly inaccurate, particularly in the structure of its head and dentition, which more closely match that of Suchomimus than Spinosaurus. Additionally, the film perpetuates the error of its two predecessors with regards to the size of its Velociraptors; they are roughly two to three times their actual size and much closer to the Deinonychus
.
The special effects used for the dinosaurs are a mixture of animatronics and CGI. Due to new discoveries and theories in the field of paleontology, the portrayal of several dinosaurs differs from that of the previous two films. Discoveries that suggest that Velociraptors were feathered prompted the addition of quill-like structures on the head and neck of male Velociraptors in the film. "We've found evidence that Velociraptors had feathers, or feather-like structures, and we've incorporated that into the new look of the raptor," said paleontologist Jack Horner, technical adviser on the film.
The score
, Don Davis
, was recommended by the composer for the first two movies John Williams. Williams' original themes were integrated into the score as well as several new ones written by Davis. A song by Randy Newman
, "Big Hat, No Cattle", is also featured, appearing in the restaurant scene between Grant and the Kirby's.
aimed at young children. The film made its VHS
and DVD
debut on December 11, 2001. The DVD has also been re-released with both sequels on December 11, 2001 as the Jurassic Park Trilogy, and as the Jurassic Park Adventure Pack on November 29, 2005. The film has also been released alongside Hulk
.
The soundtrack
was released on July 10, 2001. A Blu-ray release of the film is only available via the Jurassic Park Ultimate Trilogy (Blu-ray and DVD) which was released on October 25, 2011 by Universal Studios in North America.
Scott Ciencin
wrote three children's books to tie-in with the film; the first detailed the eight weeks Eric spent alone on Isla Sorna; the second had Eric and Alan returning to Isla Sorna to rescue a group of teenage filmmakers; and the last involved Eric and Alan leading the Pteranodons home after they nest in a Universal theme park.
, based on 156 reviews counted. Worse yet it has a 29% rating among their Top Critics. It also has a 42% on Metacritic
.
Empire magazine gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, commenting that it was "Short, scrappy and intermittently scary, this sequel skews young. It lacks the scale, the chills and the wonder of the original, but is more fun as a thrill ride than its sequel predecessor..." Other critics were split over whether the third installment of the series was better or worse than the second. Jeffrey Westhoff of the Northwest Herald felt that it was worse, remarking that "Johnston inherits the series one film too late."
However, Ben Varkontine called it "not as good a ride as the first", but "better than the second." Much of the criticism was leveled at the plot as simply a chase movie with no character development, with some going so far as to say it was "almost the same as the first movie" with "no need for new ideas or even a script". There were also complaints about its short length and small cast.
On Ebert and Roeper, Richard Roeper
gave it Thumbs Down while Roger Ebert
awarded a Thumbs Up.
In a subsequent review, Ebert called it "the best blockbuster of the Summer".
The movie was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film and Best Special Effects. For its shortcomings, it was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for "Worst Remake or Sequel".
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
science fiction film
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
and the third of the Jurassic Park franchise
Jurassic Park (franchise)
The Jurassic Park franchise is a series of books, films, comics, and videos centering on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs...
. It is the only film in the series that is neither directed by Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
(though produced by his production company, Amblin Entertainment
Amblin Entertainment
Amblin Entertainment is an American film and television production company founded by director and producer Steven Spielberg and film producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall in 1981. Amblin is only a production company, and has never distributed its own movies, nor has it fully financed its...
) nor based on a book by Michael Crichton
Michael Crichton
John Michael Crichton , best known as Michael Crichton, was an American best-selling author, producer, director, and screenwriter, best known for his work in the science fiction, medical fiction, and thriller genres. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and many have been adapted...
, though numerous scenes in the movie were taken from Crichton's two books, Jurassic Park and The Lost World. The film takes place on Isla Sorna in the Central American Pacific coast, the island from the second film, after a divorced couple tricks Dr. Alan Grant into helping them find their son.
After the success of Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park (film)
Jurassic Park is a 1993 American science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. It stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Martin Ferrero, and Bob Peck...
, Joe Johnston
Joe Johnston
Joseph Eggleston "Joe" Johnston II is an American film director and former effects artist best known for such effects-driven movies as Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Jumanji, The Rocketeer, Jurassic Park III, the period drama October Sky, The Wolfman, and Captain America: The First Avenger.- Life and...
asked Steven Spielberg if he could direct the film adaptation of The Lost World, the sequel to Jurassic Park. While Spielberg wanted to do the project, he promised to give the helm of the second sequel to Johnston. Spielberg stayed involved with the film by becoming the executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
. Three years after the release of The Lost World
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
The Lost World: Jurassic Park is a 1997 science fiction thriller film, directed by Steven Spielberg. The film was produced by Bonnie Curtis, Kathleen Kennedy, Gerald R. Molen and Colin Wilson...
, production of the third film began in August 2000. Although a commercial success, the film was released to mixed reviews.
Plot
Eric Kirby (Trevor MorganTrevor Morgan (actor)
Trevor John Morgan is an American actor. He has appeared in the films Genius, The Sixth Sense, The Patriot, A Rumor of Angels, Jurassic Park III, The Glass House, Chasing 3000, Mean Creek, Barney's Great Adventure, Local Color, Family Plan and Uncle Nino.-Early life:Trevor John Morgan was born...
) and his soon-to-be stepfather, Ben Hildebrand (Mark Harelik
Mark Harelik
Mark Harelik is an American television, film, and stage actor, as well as a playwright.-Career:Harelik has appeared in the films Election, Jurassic Park III and For Your Consideration; He was the voice of Rogers in The Swan Princess, and he has played parts on the television sitcoms Seinfeld,...
), go on a parasailing
Parasailing
Parasailing, also known as parascending, or "parakiting" is a recreational kiting activity where a person is towed behind a vehicle while attached to a specially designed canopy wing that reminds one of a parachute, known as a parasail wing...
trip off the coast of Isla Sorna. After passing through a mist off the coast, it is discovered that the two men piloting the boat have gone missing, causing the boat to collides with rocks on the shoreline. The parasailers unhook their line from the boat and try to control their descent to the uninhabited island, which has been declared a restricted area for quite some time.
The film then transitions to another scene with Alan Grant explaining to Ellie Satler's son Charlie (in his sandbox) that carnivorous dinosaurs like fighting with each other rather than with herbivores, while Charlie continues to make his toy Triceratops and Brontosaurus bite each other. It is then revealed that Satler and Grant were never married, and that she is in fact married to a doctor named Mark.
Back at Grant's dig site in Snake Water, Grant's assistant Billy Brennan is shown digging up a velociraptor skeleton (similar to that in the start of the first film), whilst flirting with one of the student paleontologists. Later in one of the research tents, Billy reveals the replica of a Velociraptor
Velociraptor
Velociraptor is a genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur that existed approximately 75 to 71 million years ago during the later part of the Cretaceous Period. Two species are currently recognized, although others have been assigned in the past. The type species is V. mongoliensis; fossils...
's resonating chamber
Larynx
The larynx , commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the neck of amphibians, reptiles and mammals involved in breathing, sound production, and protecting the trachea against food aspiration. It manipulates pitch and volume...
he created after scanning a raptor skull. Grant is then approached by Paul (William H. Macy
William H. Macy
William Hall Macy, Jr. is an American actor and writer. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Jerry Lundegaard in Fargo. He is also a teacher and director in theater, film and television. His film career has been built mostly on his appearances in small, independent films, though...
) and Amanda Kirby (Téa Leoni
Téa Leoni
Elizabeth Téa Pantaleoni , better known by her stage name Téa Leoni, is an American actress. She has starred in a wide range of films including Jurassic Park III, The Family Man, Deep Impact, Fun with Dick and Jane, Spanglish, Bad Boys, and Ghost Town.-Early life:Leoni was born in New York City...
), an allegedly wealthy couple who ask Dr. Grant to escort them on an aerial tour of Isla Sorna. Grant initially turns them down, but changes his mind after the Kirbys offer to fund his dig.
The plane carrying Grant, Billy, the Kirbys and three mercenaries arrives at Isla Sorna. Dr. Grant is surprised when the pilots tell the group that they will be landing, and starts to revolt before being knocked unconscious by one of the mercenaries, Cooper (John Diehl
John Diehl
John Diehl is an American actor, particularly known for his roles as Charles Kawalsky in the 1994 film Stargate, Det. Larry Zito on the 1980s cop show Miami Vice, Assistant Chief Ben Gilroy on The Shield, and as "the Cruiser" in Stripes. His other notable roles include Pvt...
). Grant later regains consciousness when Amanda uses a megaphone
Megaphone
A megaphone, speaking-trumpet, bullhorn, blowhorn, or loud hailer is a portable, usually hand-held, cone-shaped horn used to amplify a person’s voice or other sounds towards a targeted direction. This is accomplished by channelling the sound through the megaphone, which also serves to match the...
to call out to somebody in the jungle, and a roar is heard followed by several gunshots. Grant determines that the roar is not that of a Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus meaning "tyrant," and sauros meaning "lizard") is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex , commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other...
, but of something bigger. The mercenaries Nash (Bruce A. Young
Bruce A. Young
Bruce A. Young is an American television, film, and stage actor who is perhaps best known for his role as Capt. Simon Banks in the UPN science fiction police drama The Sentinel. Young had roles in the films Risky Business, Jurassic Park III, The Color of Money, Basic Instinct, Into Temptation,...
) and Udesky (Michael Jeter
Michael Jeter
Michael Jeter was an American actor.- Early life :Michael Jeter was born in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. His mother, Virginia , was a housewife...
) emerge shouting that they have to leave. As the plane starts down the runway, Cooper appears. Suddenly, a Spinosaurus
Spinosaurus
Spinosaurus is a genus of theropod dinosaur which lived in what is now North Africa, from the lower Albian to lower Cenomanian stages of the Cretaceous period, about 112 to 97 million years ago. This genus was first known from Egyptian remains discovered in 1912 and described by German...
dashes in front of the plane, killing Cooper and grazing the leaving airplane, which then crashes into the jungle. The Spinosaurus attacks the plane and kills Nash before the remains fall to the ground. Grant, Billy, Paul, Amanda and Udesky flee the scene as the Spinosaurus inspects the fuselage. They then run into a young male Tyrannosaurus, which pursues them back into the Spinosaurus. The two predators proceed to battle each other and the Spinosaurus kills the Tyrannosaurus by snapping its neck as the group escapes.
After finding some peace, Grant learns that the Kirbys are actually a divorced couple of small businessmen in search of their son Eric, who was stranded on the island along with Amanda's fiancé Ben eight weeks prior. The group decides to follow Grant's decision of heading towards the coast in hopes of being rescued. As they travel through the jungle, they discover a tangled parasail with Ben's skeleton and a video camera containing footage of his last moments with Eric.
The group comes across a derelict InGen
InGen
InGen is a fictional genetic engineering company appearing in the Jurassic Park franchise of novels, films and other media.-Narrative:...
laboratory. After exploring the compound, they are attacked by a Velociraptor. The group traps the raptor, which calls for help as the group leaves the buildling. Outside, they are pursued by the Velociraptor's pack, and Udesky is left behind. The alpha male raptor snaps his spinal cord, killing him. Grant is also separated, but is rescued from the raptors by Eric, who uses gas grenades to disperse the pack. The group reunites, but is separated by a spiked barrier fence. During this time, Eric hears the ringtone of his father's satellite phone
Satellite phone
A satellite telephone, satellite phone, or satphone is a type of mobile phone that connects to orbiting satellites instead of terrestrial cell sites...
. It is then revealed that sound is emanating from within the very Spinosaurus that attacked them at the landing strip
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
. On the verge of being eaten, Grant and Eric manage to escape through a hole in the fence and the pursuit ends as they escape into a building.
Inside, it is discovered that Billy stole two eggs from the raptor nest in hopes of using them to fund their digging. Grant and berates Billy as being "no better than the people who built this place." Grant decides to dispose of the eggs into the river, but changes his mind and decides to store them in his bag instead. The group then sets out for a boat docked at a nearby river. They pass through a massive aviary dome, and are attacked by Pteranodon
Pteranodon
Pteranodon , from the Late Cretaceous geological period of North America in present day Kansas, Alabama, Nebraska, Wyoming, and South Dakota, was one of the largest pterosaur genera and had a maximum wingspan of over...
s. Billy is presumed to be killed when he rescues Eric from a nest of hungry dinosaur chicks, leaving Grant in a state of remorse. The group escapes onto the boat, but while navigating down the river, a phone ring is heard. They find some Spinosaurus dung, on which the satellite phone is recovered.
As the survivors travel down the river, the Spinosaurus emerges from the water and attacks them. Grant attempts to call Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern
Laura Dern
Laura Elizabeth Dern is an American actress, film director and producer. Dern has acted in such films as Smooth Talk , Blue Velvet , Fat Man and Little Boy , Wild at Heart , Jurassic Park and October Sky...
), but can only yell "The river! Site B!" as the boat submerges. Paul distracts the Spinosaurus by climbing a construction crane, while Grant shoots a flare which ignites the boat's spilled oil, driving away the dinosaur.
The next morning, the group is close to shore when the Velociraptor pack reappears. Grant delivers the eggs and uses Billy's raptor resonating chamber to confuse the pack. The sound of an approaching helicopter causes the raptors to leave peacefully with the eggs. On the beach, Marine
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
helicopters and infantry arrive. The party boards the helicopter where they are reunited with Billy, who is seriously injured but still alive. As the helicopter departs, three Pteranodons are seen flying off in the distance to which Grant suggests that they are searching for new nesting grounds. The film ends with the pteranodons soaring majestically into the clouds.
Cast
- Sam NeillSam NeillNigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill, DCNZM, OBE is a New Zealand actor. He is well known for his starring role as paleontologist Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III....
as Dr. Alan Grant: World-famous paleontologist who survived the incident on Isla Nublar and has since developed an extensive and groundbreaking theory concerning raptor intelligence. - William H. MacyWilliam H. MacyWilliam Hall Macy, Jr. is an American actor and writer. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Jerry Lundegaard in Fargo. He is also a teacher and director in theater, film and television. His film career has been built mostly on his appearances in small, independent films, though...
as Paul Kirby: The owner of a hardware store who poses as a wealthy businessman in order to lure Grant onto Isla Sorna to help search for their son. - Téa LeoniTéa LeoniElizabeth Téa Pantaleoni , better known by her stage name Téa Leoni, is an American actress. She has starred in a wide range of films including Jurassic Park III, The Family Man, Deep Impact, Fun with Dick and Jane, Spanglish, Bad Boys, and Ghost Town.-Early life:Leoni was born in New York City...
as Amanda Kirby: Paul's ex-wife who accompanies the group to Site B, feeling guilty for having lost Eric. - Alessandro NivolaAlessandro NivolaAlessandro Antine Nivola is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles in the films Best Laid Plans, Jurassic Park III, Face/Off, and the first two films of the Goal! trilogy.-Personal life:...
as Billy Brennan: A young and overly enthusiastic graduate student from Grant's digsite. - Trevor MorganTrevor Morgan (actor)Trevor John Morgan is an American actor. He has appeared in the films Genius, The Sixth Sense, The Patriot, A Rumor of Angels, Jurassic Park III, The Glass House, Chasing 3000, Mean Creek, Barney's Great Adventure, Local Color, Family Plan and Uncle Nino.-Early life:Trevor John Morgan was born...
as Eric Kirby: The 12-year-old son of Paul and Amanda who ends up stranded on Site B for eight weeks, and must fend for himself without Ben Hildebrand. - Michael JeterMichael JeterMichael Jeter was an American actor.- Early life :Michael Jeter was born in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. His mother, Virginia , was a housewife...
as Udesky: A meek but sardonic mercenary "booking agent" who travels with his two associates to the island. - Bruce A. YoungBruce A. YoungBruce A. Young is an American television, film, and stage actor who is perhaps best known for his role as Capt. Simon Banks in the UPN science fiction police drama The Sentinel. Young had roles in the films Risky Business, Jurassic Park III, The Color of Money, Basic Instinct, Into Temptation,...
as M.B. Nash: The mercenary pilot. - John Diehl as Cooper: A tough mercenary.
- Laura DernLaura DernLaura Elizabeth Dern is an American actress, film director and producer. Dern has acted in such films as Smooth Talk , Blue Velvet , Fat Man and Little Boy , Wild at Heart , Jurassic Park and October Sky...
as Dr. Ellie Sattler: A paleobotanist who also survived Isla Nublar. - Taylor NicholsTaylor NicholsCecil Taylor Nichols is an American actor best known for roles in the Whit Stillman films Metropolitan, Barcelona, and The Last Days of Disco. His characters in these films were insecure, stuttering sidekicks to those of the more outgoing Chris Eigeman...
as Mark Degler: Ellie's husband and an expert in treaty law at the US State Department. - Mark HarelikMark HarelikMark Harelik is an American television, film, and stage actor, as well as a playwright.-Career:Harelik has appeared in the films Election, Jurassic Park III and For Your Consideration; He was the voice of Rogers in The Swan Princess, and he has played parts on the television sitcoms Seinfeld,...
as Ben Hildebrand: Amanda's reckless boyfriend. - Julio Oscar MechosoJulio Oscar MechosoJulio Oscar Mechoso is an American actor. He is occasionally credited as Julio Mechoso.Mechoso is a character actor in both television and film. He has appeared in several high-profile films, such as Grindhouse, Bad Boys and the controversial Ken Park. His television credits include Miami Vice,...
as Enrique Cardoso: The owner and operator of the illegal "Dino-Soar" para-sailing service, which offers to take tourists close to Site B so they can see the dinosaurs. - Blake Michael Bryan as Charlie Degler: The three-year-old son of Ellie and Mark, who thinks of Alan Grant as "The Dinosaur Man".
- Sarah Danielle MadisonSarah Danielle MadisonSarah Danielle Madison is an American actress.Madison was born Sarah Goldberg in Chicago, Illinois. She is occasionally still credited by her birthname. She is a 1992 graduate of The Latin School of Chicago, which is the alma mater of Nancy Davis Reagan. She graduated from Amherst College in 1996...
as Cheryl Logan: A graduate student who flirts with Billy at Grant's dig site in Montana. - Linda Park as Hannah: Ellie's assistant whose duties include dealing with Tom, Ellie's editor.
- Frank WelkerFrank WelkerFranklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...
as Vocal Dinosaur effects
Production
Joe JohnstonJoe Johnston
Joseph Eggleston "Joe" Johnston II is an American film director and former effects artist best known for such effects-driven movies as Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Jumanji, The Rocketeer, Jurassic Park III, the period drama October Sky, The Wolfman, and Captain America: The First Avenger.- Life and...
had been interested in directing the sequel to Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park (film)
Jurassic Park is a 1993 American science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. It stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Martin Ferrero, and Bob Peck...
and approached friend Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
about the project. While Spielberg wanted to direct the first sequel, he agreed that if there was ever a third film, Johnston could direct. The third film was reen-light|greenlit] in August 1999 and was based on a story by Steven Spielberg, featuring Alan Grant after having lived in a tree on one of the islands and studied the dinosaur population. Johnston never had any concrete concept for the third installment, other than stating the film would be "more stand-alone" and feature a lot of flying reptiles. Before that, Craig Rosenberg wrote a script involving teenagers who get marooned on Isla Sorna.
New writers were brought in to scribe a story involving Pteranodon
Pteranodon
Pteranodon , from the Late Cretaceous geological period of North America in present day Kansas, Alabama, Nebraska, Wyoming, and South Dakota, was one of the largest pterosaur genera and had a maximum wingspan of over...
s escaping from Site B and causing a rash of mysterious killings on the mainland, which was to be investigated by Alan Grant and a number of other characters including Billy Brennan, a naturalist named Simone, a tough
Military attaché
A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...
, and wealthy Paul Roby, histeenage son Miles, and love interest. Grant's group was to track the Pterosaurs back to Site B and crash on the island, while a parallel investigation was carried out on the mainland. Supposedly, the aviary sequence and laboratory set piece were much longer and more complex, including raptors stealthily entering the hatchery while the team spent the night. Sets, costumes, and props were built for this version, before Johnston threw out the completed script five weeks before filming in order to pursue the "rescue mission" plot, which was suggested by David Koepp. Johnston said that the script was never finished during production - "We shot pages that eventually went into the final script but we didn't have a document". Also during the pre-production phase, concept artists created advertising for the film using a number of working titles including Jurassic Park: Extinction and Jurassic Park: Breakout.
Production began on August 30, 2000 without a finished script, with filming in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
, and Molokai
Molokai
Molokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
. Although it is an original story, not based on a Michael Crichton
Michael Crichton
John Michael Crichton , best known as Michael Crichton, was an American best-selling author, producer, director, and screenwriter, best known for his work in the science fiction, medical fiction, and thriller genres. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and many have been adapted...
novel, it does contain minor scenes from Crichton's Jurassic Park and The Lost World novels that were not featured in the film versions, such as the Pteranodon aviary and the use of the boat. In a change from the first two films, Spinosaurus replaced T. Rex as the main antagonist. As to why Spinosaurus was chosen for such a role, Johnston stated, "A lot of dinosaurs have a very similar silhouette to the T-Rex... and we wanted the audience to instantly recognize this as something else." Baryonyx
Baryonyx
Baryonyx is a genus of carnivorous saurischian dinosaur first discovered in clay pits just south of Dorking, England, and later reported from fossils found in northern Spain and Portugal. It is known to contain only one species, Baryonyx walkeri...
was originally considered to be the "big bad
Big Bad
Big Bad is a term originally used by the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series to describe a major recurring adversary, usually the chief villain or antagonist in a particular broadcast season...
" before Spinosaurus was chosen. Within film dialog, Billy interprets the animal encountered as a Baryonyx or Suchomimus
Suchomimus
Suchomimus is a genus of large spinosaurid dinosaur with a crocodile-like mouth that lived sometime between 121-112 million years ago, during the late Aptian stage of the Cretaceous period in Africa.-Description:...
, but Dr. Grant corrects his analysis based on its sail. The origin of the Spinosaurus is also a mystery as Ingen did not clone the Spinosaurus. The Spinosaurus in the film however is slightly inaccurate, particularly in the structure of its head and dentition, which more closely match that of Suchomimus than Spinosaurus. Additionally, the film perpetuates the error of its two predecessors with regards to the size of its Velociraptors; they are roughly two to three times their actual size and much closer to the Deinonychus
Deinonychus
Deinonychus was a genus of carnivorous dromaeosaurid dinosaur. There is one described species, Deinonychus antirrhopus. This 3.4 meter long dinosaur lived during the early Cretaceous Period, about 115–108 million years ago . Fossils have been recovered from the U.S...
.
The special effects used for the dinosaurs are a mixture of animatronics and CGI. Due to new discoveries and theories in the field of paleontology, the portrayal of several dinosaurs differs from that of the previous two films. Discoveries that suggest that Velociraptors were feathered prompted the addition of quill-like structures on the head and neck of male Velociraptors in the film. "We've found evidence that Velociraptors had feathers, or feather-like structures, and we've incorporated that into the new look of the raptor," said paleontologist Jack Horner, technical adviser on the film.
The score
Jurassic Park III (film score)
Jurassic Park III is a score of the film of the same name. Composed by Don Davis and performed by the Hollywood Studio Orchestra, this fast paced, action score was composed late in post-production of the film...
, Don Davis
Don Davis (composer)
Donald Romain Davis is an American film score composer, conductor, and orchestrator. Best known for his work on The Matrix, he has worked on a variety of films, from horror to comedy.- Early life :...
, was recommended by the composer for the first two movies John Williams. Williams' original themes were integrated into the score as well as several new ones written by Davis. A song by Randy Newman
Randy Newman
Randall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
, "Big Hat, No Cattle", is also featured, appearing in the restaurant scene between Grant and the Kirby's.
Release
The film earned $181,171,875 in the United States and $368,780,809 worldwide, was the eighth highest grossing film of the year worldwide, but still earned less than either of its predecessors. As with the other films in the franchise, there was a large marketing push, including seven video games and a novelizationNovelization
A novelization is a novel that is written based on some other media story form rather than as an original work.Novelizations of films usually add background material not found in the original work to flesh out the story, because novels are generally longer than screenplays...
aimed at young children. The film made its VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
debut on December 11, 2001. The DVD has also been re-released with both sequels on December 11, 2001 as the Jurassic Park Trilogy, and as the Jurassic Park Adventure Pack on November 29, 2005. The film has also been released alongside Hulk
Hulk (film)
Hulk is a 2003 American superhero film based on the fictional Marvel Comics character of the same name. Ang Lee directed the film, which stars Eric Bana as Dr. Bruce Banner, as well as Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Josh Lucas, and Nick Nolte...
.
The soundtrack
Jurassic Park III (film score)
Jurassic Park III is a score of the film of the same name. Composed by Don Davis and performed by the Hollywood Studio Orchestra, this fast paced, action score was composed late in post-production of the film...
was released on July 10, 2001. A Blu-ray release of the film is only available via the Jurassic Park Ultimate Trilogy (Blu-ray and DVD) which was released on October 25, 2011 by Universal Studios in North America.
Scott Ciencin
Scott Ciencin
Scott Ciencin is an American author. He sometimes writes with Denise Ciencin.-Biography:Scott Ciencin is a New York Times bestselling author who writes adult and children's fiction and works in a variety of mediums including comic books. Among his works are novels written for the Dungeons &...
wrote three children's books to tie-in with the film; the first detailed the eight weeks Eric spent alone on Isla Sorna; the second had Eric and Alan returning to Isla Sorna to rescue a group of teenage filmmakers; and the last involved Eric and Alan leading the Pteranodons home after they nest in a Universal theme park.
Reception
Jurassic Park III received mixed reviews from critics. It is currently ranked with a 50% positive rating on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, based on 156 reviews counted. Worse yet it has a 29% rating among their Top Critics. It also has a 42% on Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
.
Empire magazine gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, commenting that it was "Short, scrappy and intermittently scary, this sequel skews young. It lacks the scale, the chills and the wonder of the original, but is more fun as a thrill ride than its sequel predecessor..." Other critics were split over whether the third installment of the series was better or worse than the second. Jeffrey Westhoff of the Northwest Herald felt that it was worse, remarking that "Johnston inherits the series one film too late."
However, Ben Varkontine called it "not as good a ride as the first", but "better than the second." Much of the criticism was leveled at the plot as simply a chase movie with no character development, with some going so far as to say it was "almost the same as the first movie" with "no need for new ideas or even a script". There were also complaints about its short length and small cast.
On Ebert and Roeper, Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Richard E. Roeper is an American columnist and film critic for The Chicago Sun-Times and now a co-host on The Roe Conn Show on WLS-AM...
gave it Thumbs Down while Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
awarded a Thumbs Up.
In a subsequent review, Ebert called it "the best blockbuster of the Summer".
The movie was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film and Best Special Effects. For its shortcomings, it was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for "Worst Remake or Sequel".